National Youth Leadership Forum: Law & CSI

Experience NYLF Law & CSI

At the National Youth Leadership Forum: Law & CSI, you will experience the full range of professions that exist in legal and forensic science fields and explore your opportunities for the future. This six-day summer program is held in Washington, DC.

NYLF Law & CSImay be thesingle most valuable opportunity you receive as a high school student. Through hands-on experiences in crime scene investigation, evidence analysis and courtroom simulations, you will go beyond the classroom and gain the edge you need for college and a future career in law or crime scene investigation.

A behind-the-scenes college experience at George Mason University will give you new insights into the university admissions process and campus life.

By attending NYLF Law & CSI, you will be honored for your academic achievement, recognized for your leadership potential and take your place among top high school students from across the nation.

Benefits & Activities

Are you ready to explore the exciting fields of law and crime scene investigation and gain the skills and experience you need to chart your future?

At NYLF Law & CSI you will:

Explore in-depth the entire judicial process, from the discovery of a crime, through collecting and analyzing all of the critical evidence, to preparing for the courtroom process and taking part in the criminal trial.

Examine a court case in the Supreme Court Simulation, in which you will step forward in front of your peers to assume the role of a justice or attorney, use analytical skills to review issues relevant to the case, discover how to effectively argue your position and render a final decision – just like the Supreme Court Justices themselves!

Choose to take part in a legal or forensic science career experience, during which you will visit a courthouse or laboratory and interact with top professionals in your chosen career field.

Get a glimpse of the college experience through a visit to George Mason University, which includes a college admissions workshop, a student life panel with current undergraduates and an official campus tour.

Receive an official Certificate of Merit as a testament to your academic success and your contribution to the program. You may highlight this honor throughout your education, and submit a copy of your certificate with college applications.

Interact, collaborate and share ideas, side-by-side with other future leaders, which will inspire and motivate you throughout the program and beyond.

Law & CSI Career Exploration

Enhance your awareness of legal, judicial and forensic science professions through career panels, seminars and workshops led by law and forensic science experts. Past program speakers include:

Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court

Sandra Day O’Connor, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court

Harriet Miers, White House Counsel

Abner J. Mikva, White House Counsel, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Nadine Strossen, President, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Professor of Law, New York Law School

Eric H. Holder, Jr., Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia

Jonathan Turley, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law, Director of the Environmental Law Advocacy Center, George Washington University Law School

DeMaurice F. Smith, Partner, Latham & Watkins

*Note: listed are speakers’ titles at the time they addressed the forum.

Law & CSI in Action

Gain a firsthand look at your future through your choice of a forensic science or legal career experience:

The forensic science career experience includes a hands-on laboratory workshop with George Mason University professors, an introduction to new techniques and technologies actively used in the field of forensic science and an exploration of your future career options.

The legal career experience features a visit to a court of law, a legal ethics and critical cases panel with prominent Washington, DC lawyers and a briefing on the opportunities and challenges of law school.

Analyze evidence and build a case as part of a forensic science simulation.

Put your legal acumen to the test as you make your case in an exciting courtroom simulation where you can experience firsthand the role of prosecutor, attorney or witness.

Learn the trade secrets of strong debate and negotiation from top professionals, and gain leadership skills you can use now and in college, including public speaking, team building and conflict management.

Participating Institutions

At the NYLF Law & CSI program, you will see law and CSI operations in action and engage with top professionals from law firms, courts of law and forensic science facilities. Past participating institutions include:

Program Eligibility & Nomination

This program is for you if you are a high school student during the 2014-2015 academic year and you are ready to prepare for an exciting career in law or crime scene investigation. Many of our students are nominated by educators, leaders from youth organizations and participating institutions, but open enrollments are welcome and considered on a case-by-case basis.

After you enroll, you will receive an enrollment confirmation email. A personalized URL will be created for you – your MyEnvisionExperience.com page – where you can find important program updates, the Mandatory Travel Form, the Student Information Form, a travel checklist, pre-conference assignments and a press release you can use to notify local media about your participation in this prestigious program. You will receive notification in the mail and via email with details about how to access your MyEnvisionExperience.com page.

Should the program be full, we will let you know. You will be placed on a wait list and your payment will not be processed. If space becomes available, we will contact you and confirm your interest to attend before proceeding with enrollment.

You should plan to wear professional attire during most program events. When professional attire is required, ladies must wear dresses, suits or skirts/slacks with a jacket and blouse; gentlemen must wear a suit or sport jacket with dress pants, dress shirt, tie and dress shoes.

There will be limited opportunities during the conference for you to wear casual attire, including jeans. Comfortable dress shoes are essential. You will be walking a great deal throughout the program.

For more detailed information about the dress code for this program, visit your MyEnvisionExperience.com personal Web page, which will be available to you after you enroll.

You are expected to abide by the Student Code of Conduct. You also must abide by and uphold all conference rules. We expect you to conduct yourself as a mature and responsible leader who represents your school and community.

Organization & Affiliations

Envision is a leading experiential education organization dedicated to enabling students of all ages explore their interests and gain critical learning experiences beyond the classroom. Envision merged with LeadAmerica in 2012 to provide a comprehensive offering of programs to help students develop the leadership, scholarship and career skills needed to succeed in the competitive 21st century. See About Envisionfor more detailed information about Envision, its history of successful educational programs, its leadership and its partners.

Envision is a tuition-based, self-supporting organization, with many students securing financial support from local business, civic, community and leadership organizations. Scholarship funds are also available for qualified nominees. Learn more about scholarships and fundraising opportunities.

Tuition & Financial Assistance

Your tuition for NYLF Law & CSI includes housing accommodations, two meals per day, instruction, supervisory personnel, program materials, all program activities and local transportation during the program.

However, your transportation to and from Washington, DC is NOT included in tuition. While attending the program, you will only need money for one meal per day (typically lunch), souvenirs, snacks and other incidentals.

You can visit the Envision scholarships page for more information. We are proud to offer a limited number of scholarships to eligible students, opening the door to young leaders from a variety of backgrounds. You should also know that many students fundraise to pay for most or all of their tuition costs. See the fundraising page for more information.

If you intend to fundraise to raise program tuition, we encourage you to enroll using our convenient payment plan. That way you will make sure you have safely secured your space in the program. It is always a good idea to contact our Office of Admissions once you begin your fundraising campaign

You can expect to be notified by email. This usually happens about two weeks after the scholarship deadline date has passed. If you do not provide an operable email address, you will receive notification by mail approximately three weeks after the scholarship deadline date has passed. The scholarship deadline date can be found on the scholarships page.

Safety & Supervision

Your safety and well-being during the program is our highest priority. The program is structured so that you will reside in a safe, controlled environment. You will be closely supervised by a professionally trained staff, including faculty advisors who serve as educational facilitators and chaperones, security personnel, operations personnel and a program coordinator.

For nearly 30 years, Envision has achieved a stellar record of safely and successfully enriching the lives of students, providing them with superb educational experiences and professional supervision. Other Envision safety measures include:

Greeting students at the designated airport upon their arrival and providing shuttle service directly to the program site, as well as providing shuttle service back to the airport on departure day.

Maintaining a student-to-staff ratio of 17-to-1.

Providing single-sex rooms and single-sex floors.

Requiring all students to attend all activities.

Checking rooms nightly and ensuring that students remain in their rooms.

Having night monitors in place to support students who may become ill or who have an emergency during the night.

Roommate requests are not accepted. You will be randomly assigned a room prior to your arrival day. We believe that one of the important benefits of this program is the opportunity for you to network with others and get to know peers from different parts of the country.

No. Your parents or guardians are not allowed to accompany you during the program. Gaining independence, including experiencing new things on your own, is an essential part of your growth during the program. However, it is perfectly fine for your family to travel with you to the program location and stay in the area while you are attending the program.

Yes. If you are a student with special needs or with disabilities, we encourage you to enroll. We may be able to provide you with auxiliary aids and services to assist you. Please call our Office of Admissions for more information or to discuss your particular needs prior to enrolling in the program.

Yes. Your tuition does not include transportation to and from Washington, DC. We recommend that you make necessary flight arrangements only AFTER you receive confirmation that the session dates you have selected are available and you are officially enrolled.

Envision staff will be at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to assist you with your arrival and departure. We will also ensure there is shuttle service for you to get you from designated airports to the housing campus site on the first and last days of your program. The shuttle service fee is $35 each way or $70 round-trip.

Note: More details about the designated airports, arrival windows and the airport shuttle service will be provided to you on your personal MyEnvisionExperience.com Web page after you enroll in the program.

To protect and safeguard the investment that you and your parents make in travel and tuition costs, we strongly recommend that your parents take advantage of our Tuition and Travel Protection Plan. This plan is offered through Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. You may purchase this cancellation insurance when you enroll. You may also select this option when you complete the Mandatory Travel Form on your personalized MyEnvisionExperience.com page after enrollment. If your parents would like more specifics about the Tuition and Travel Protection Plan, please have them call the plan administrator, Nationwide, at (866) 282-3987.

Academic Preparation

The first step of your leadership journey includes assessing your strengths and opportunities for growth. To aid in this assessment, you must complete a brief pre-program assignment entitled Feedback for Understanding Emerging Leaders (FUEL).

The FUEL assignment will be available on your personal MyEnvisionExperience.com web page after you enroll. It simply requires that you choose five mentors – teachers, coaches, youth group leaders or other trusted adults – to complete a short survey about your leadership strengths. You also will complete a short self-assessment as part of the FUEL assignment.

Please make sure you complete the assignment no later than one week prior to arrival. You will be able to see the results on the first day of the program.
The FUEL assignment will be available on your MyEnvisionExperience.com personal Web page after you enroll.

Other Questions

Vegetarian options are always available. Kosher and Halal meals can be made available to you, provided the request is submitted prior to the start of the conference. When you complete the Student Information Form, you will have the opportunity to make special dietary requests.

All lost and found items are retained by the program staff for two weeks following the conference. Items of higher monetary value are retained for 30 days. After 30 days, all items remaining are discarded or donated. Contact the Office of Admissions for assistance.